To Call Down the Heavens
by ChildOfDivinity
Summary: The future went wrong. Terribly, terribly wrong. So they went back. They called upon the Four Gods of the Earth and they went back to fix everything. Now they are children again. Children with the ability to save everything that they hold dear. But will it really be that easy? Can they abandon their future to repair their past? Fem!Naru
1. Chapter 1

**Hello all! ChilOfDivinity here! So This is my newest story. If you are reading To Mend the Soul then I apologize. I will update when I figure out what I'm doing as upon further review, I have found myself unhappy with the way it was written. Rest assured that it will be getting updated soon though. Anyways, I hope that this story is well received by all. Please review and tell me your thoughts. Constructive criticism is welcome but flamers will be penalized for their idiocy.**

 **Disclaimer: Masashi Kishimoto's beach. I'm just building sandcastles.**

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Chapter 1:

Uzumaki-Namikaze Naruko groaned as her eyes fluttered open only to close again against the blinding light. She must have fallen asleep in one of the upper levels of the bunker, probably the tactics room, because only the top levels had windows. She moved her hands up to wipe the grit from her eyes and froze. Her hands were _tiny_ , unscarred and still soft with young age. That's when the realization hit her.

She remembered the fires, the sounds of battle around her. She remembered her people, the last vestiges of the once great Konoha, dying around her. She remembered Shikamaru, her dear Shikamaru, telling her to go, that the others were waiting and that he would hold the enemy off. She remembered her tears streaming down as she was pulled away by Kiba's strong arms at Shikamaru's solemn nod.

She wasn't in the bunker. She wasn't tallying the dead as war raged on around them. She was in the past. It had worked. It had _worked_! She buried her head in her hands as she laughed for the first time in a very long time. That laughed soon turned into a choked sob and her shoulders shook with violent emotion. They had done it and now they could fix _everything_!

Her head shot up. The others! Had they made it back too? Four had done the ritual. It took four to call on the Gods and reverse time.

Naruko had been one. She had summoned Byakko, The White Tiger of the West. The second had been Yamanaka Ino, the head of T&I, who called upon Suzaku, The Vermillion Bird of the South. After her was Hinata, the head of the ANBU Seduction Corps, who summoned Genbu, The Black Tortoise of the North. Lastly was Sakura, the head of the Medic Division, who summoned Seiryuu, The Azure Dragon of the East.

The four had long since been a team and known throughout the war as Konoha's Angels of Death. They were a tight knit ANBU team before the war and only ascended after it had begun. Even after they had attained their Head positions, they had stayed close to each other out of both necessity and the need for comfort that could only be found in each other. They were the most feared four women in the Elemental Nations. They had been chosen to make the trip back while their comrades held the enemy forces back because it was known that they would work together seamlessly to bring the peace that was so desired by all.

Naruko scrambled out of her bed quickly and ran to check her calendar which showed that she was a little over a week away from starting the Academy which meant that she was seven years old again. She was twenty years in the past.

She went to her bathroom and stared intently into the mirror. A soft child's face stared back at her. It was not the worn, ragged face that had met her in the mirror the day before. Naru turned her head so that she was looking at the left side of her face. Unblemished flesh stared back at her and she hesitantly ran her fingers through her silky blonde tresses that were a far cry from what she had grown used to.

In the future, she had been hit by a fire jutsu that had scarred the entire left side of her head so badly that not even Kurama could get rid of it all. The left side of her face had been permanently etched into a macabre scowl. It was only Sakura and the fox working together that had saved her sight and she was only able to gain back seventy percent of her hearing. The hair on the left side of her head had never grown back either. It was strange seeing her face so smooth with only her whisker marks to show after nearly nine years with the burn scars.

After staring at her reflection a bit longer, the woman turned girl nodded resolutely to herself before pulling her hair up into two pigtails. She washed her face and brushed her teeth before running to her closet. She bypassed the orange jumpsuit that she had worn to attract attention as a child and made her way to the back of the closet that held the clothing she never wore. All of the outfits were gifts from the Sandaime Hokage and his female advisor, Koharu. She had never worn them before because the orange jumpsuit had been better for catching attention.

Now, she pulled on a child sized, knee-length, dark blue quipao dress with a high collar along with a pair of black skintight shorts to go underneath as there were slits that went up the sides to her tiny hips. She pulled out a burnt orange obi and tied it around her waist, tying a bow in the back. She quickly stepped into her tiny sandals and ran out of her apartment, slipping her key into the front of her obi.

She ran as fast as she could, dodging and weaving through the crowds and making her way to a secluded grove close to the training grounds but far enough away that nobody but her had ever found it and she had only ever showed it to her most trusted friends. She finally reached it, panting and tired, and she marveled at the lack of strength and endurance this child's body had. She made a note to fix that as soon as she could.

She sat next to the small lake in the clearing that was fed by a small stream that branched off from the main river in Konoha. She curled her knees into her chest and wrapped her arms around them while staring into the shadows, praying her friends would come soon. She wasn't left waiting for long as first one shadow, then another, and then a last, flew out of the trees. Naruko rose to her feet swiftly and all four girls stared at each other for one breathless moment before a dam broke and they were colliding together in a tangle of limbs and tears and the calling of each other's names and if they had been asked later they would say that nobody knew who had moved first. Tears fell and quiet words were whispered as they held each other. Finally the group pulled themselves apart and sat up, facing each other.

"We're here. We made it," Ino whispered. Naru nodded, wrapping a short arm around the older girls' shoulders.

"We have a week until we start the Academy. We need to plan this carefully," Naruko said solemnly. Sakura's tired eyes lit up with a rare spark of mischief.

"Of course, Hokage- _hime_ ," the pinkette drawled, making Ino and Hinata giggle at Naru's disgruntled scowl.

For some ridiculous reason, when the village had learned of her parentage, they had begun calling her Hime. Her comrades had heard it one day and had taken to teasing her with the name due to her dislike of it and it had only gotten worse after she took up the mantle of Hokage. Of course, then war had broken out and they had lost most cause for entertainment and joy so it was actually a relief to Naru to hear the others being playful again, even if it was at her own expense.

"Oh shut up," she growled with no real heat. "Now, I think that it won't really matter if we act differently because they don't really know us at this point. We just need to make sure that in the end I still end up Dead Last while Ra is Top Kunoichi. We have to keep the teams the same, no matter how much we might not like it. Our biggest problems will be our families and caretakers. We can't just act like innocent little brats. We need to find a good excuse for the change. Maybe because of the upcoming Academy induction?" Naru asked, getting nods of agreement from the other three. Sakura wrinkled her nose.

"I can't believe we have to deal with broody bastard Sasuke again. He was so much easier to deal with after you beat him Naru. I don't suppose you could do that a bit sooner?" She asked hopefully. Naruko laughed at Sakura's pouty face. With the heavy things out of the way, the three friends lay on their backs in the grass in a circle and just stared up at the sky until the silence was broken.

"It's so strange, being back. It's so different seeing the trees again," Naruko sighed as she watched the clouds pass by, a habit she picked up from her husband of the future. The thought made her throat tighten but she swallowed the feeling of despair down harshly. Ino snorted from beside her.

"You're telling me! I woke up this morning with _both_ arms, firmly attached! It's a bit strange and going to take quite a bit of getting used to," the pale blonde stated as she rubbed her right arm almost reverently. In the future she had lost the arm in a battle six years before they came back to the past. A mokuton and chakra metal had been made and bound to the stump and it functioned perfectly but it wasn't the same.

"I miss my hair though," Hinata said quietly as she fingered her short locks. Hinata's hair had been her pride, usually tied up into elaborate up-do's and pinned with senbon, the hair had also been her secret weapon. Her hair had been specifically enhanced to siphon off her remaining chakra at the end of each day until it came to the point that Hinata controlled its growth and movement like another body part. It was a useful asset for the Commander of Konoha's Seduction Corps to have as even if Hinata ran out of chakra she could still utilize her hair as the hair itself was imbued with her natural chakra stores and needed only a thought for her to use it.

The three other girls laughed at their once shy friends' apparent vanity.

"Only you Hina-chan. Only you," Sakura said. "And who would have thought that sweet, shy little Hyuuga Hinata would become the Queen of ANBU-Yu. Well, you know what they say. It's always the quiet ones," she laughed as Hinata swatted at her. But it was the true.

Nobody had ever thought that Hinata, who was considered relatively weak by the masses of Konoha, would ever rise to such heights. The once shy girl had really blossomed after she had joined Ino, Sakura and Naruko's ANBU squad.

Naru was the heavy hitter, the first in and the last out. Sakura was the team medic, patching up her friends and using her chakra enhanced strength to take out anyone who got to close. Ino was their information gatherer for lack of a better term, and she wasn't too picky about the state of her informants when she was finished with them. That left infiltration to Hinata. It took her awhile to warm up to it but when she did, she flourished. She started working with the S-corps on the side much like Sakura worked at the hospital or Ino worked at T&I or Naruko worked under Tsunade. After they had all been promoted, Hinata handed control of the clan over to Hanabi, only offering her younger sister council on certain matters. Hinata was the best ANBU-Yu had to offer and it showed.

The four friends laughed together at the memories. It was good to feel so carefree again. But at the same time they weren't carefree. They had a future to save and so very many people. They were twenty years in the past. Naruko was a twenty-seven year old woman in a seven year olds body. She had given up so much to come back. They all had.

"It's going to be so hard seeing them again. So young and happy. None of them know what's coming," Naruko sighed. The other girls smiled sadly along with her, remembering their own special people that they had lost or left in that war torn future. After a moment of silence for their memories, a wicked smirk crossed Ino's face.

"Just do try not to jump Shika the moment you see him, _Hime_ ," she drawled, giggling at the bright flush that spread across her younger friends face.

"Really though," Sakura began. "Who would have thought that you and the ever lazy Nara Shikamaru would get together of all people?" She laughed

"Oh you have no room to talk, Sakura!" Naru hissed. "What about you and Shino, huh?" The rosette blushed heavily and Hinata laughed.

"I don't think that any of us wound up in relationships that anyone expected," Hinata said. And wasn't that the truth! Ino wound up with the socially awkward artist Sai, who had showered her in love the best his emotionally stunted self knew how meaning he drew many portraits of her and found new names for her that she liked. Likewise; Ino showed him how to feel and made him more comfortable in his skin.

Sakura had married Aburame Shino, the ever stoic bug user who, according to Sakura, was far more affectionate in private. After their marriage, Sakura had the choice to receive her own kikaicho colony and she had accepted the offer as the wife of the future Clan Head, until the clan had been destroyed anyways. Strangely enough, Sakura and Shino had bonded over the use of his insects in medical procedures after he had used them to assist her on the battlefield a year into the war.

Hinata had somehow managed to catch Gaara's attention and he had been awkwardly courting her until they got married three years into the war. Surprisingly, he didn't frown on her profession and actually encouraged and supported her. That could have just been the difference between ninja and civilian though.

Naruko herself had somehow wound up with the ever lazy Shikamaru and she had been the most surprised one there. She hadn't even realized the Nara liked her until she was being crushed to his chest and kissed until she was dizzy, literally. She had spent the entire time since the Academy up until said incident thinking that he didn't even like her, not realizing that 'Troublesome Woman' was almost a term of endearment in the Nara clan.

"I wonder if it will take Neji asking me out again for Shika-kun to finally confess this time. I don't think I've ever seen him as aggravated as he was that day," Naruko laughed. A smile crossed her face at the memory before flitting away as she realized that her husband wasn't here and possibly never would be.

"We'll get them back eventually," Hinata said softly. The other three nodded resolutely in agreement. They stayed together for a few more minutes before they began parting ways, knowing that parents and guardians would be looking for them as they had been gone for a matter of hours already.

After the others had departed, Naruko spent another minute staring at her reflection in the water of the lake before she too turned away and made her way back through the trees, smoothing the fabric of her dress as she went. When she broke the tree line, she felt the presence of the ANBU guard assigned to her by the Sandaime and she smiled at their familiar auras as she made her way to the Hokage Tower to meet with her grandfather figure.

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 **End chapter! Hope you all enjoyed! Reviews welcome!**

 **Ja Ne**

 **COD**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello all! This chapter actually would have been up a week ago but unfortunatly my internet got shut off! Thank the Gods it's back! I really appreciate the reviews! Please keep them coming! I endevour to please, Ladies and Gentlemen. Please give me your thoughts on this chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: Not my circus. Not my monkeys.**

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Chapter 2:

When Naruko reached the Hokage tower under the watchful eyes of her escort, she was met with the heartwarming sight of her pseudo-grandfather sitting behind that old worn desk with the sun shining through the windows behind him and a picturesque image of the village completing the scene. It took every ounce of training the woman-turned-girl had not to start sobbing all over his officious red and white robes. Luckily, it was not uncommon for her to throw herself into the man's arms when she had been a child and so that is exactly what she did, gripping him for all she was worth and nuzzling into his long forgotten warmth. She decided in that moment that if this was a dream then she absolutely never wanted to wake up.

When she finally looked up from his chest and into his kind, worn face, she flashed him one of her thousand-watt grins making him smile and laugh as he curled his arms around her and pulled her comfortably onto his lap, a pastime that she had missed after he was gone.

"Well my dear," he said happily. "Isn't this a pleasant surprise? And how have you been Naru-chan? Your ANBU tell me that you disappeared for quite a while this morning. Would you care to tell this old man where you went?" He questioned with a kind but serious tone.

"I met some real nice girls and we went to play together! Can you believe it Jiji! They actually wanted to play with me! And they're starting the Academy with me next week too! Ain't that lucky Gramps?" Naru crowed in a childish manner. It was best to set this up now, in a way that would be unsuspicious. Sarutobi Hiruzen raised an eyebrow at the girl, but his eyes were sad. He knew that the girl was kept away from other children because of their parents and it had hurt him every time she cried because she didn't know why the others never played with her. It warmed his old heart to hear that the girl had made friends, but now he was curious as to who they were and if it would cause repercussions with their families. That was the last thing the old Hokage wanted.

"Oh? And who are these girls?" He questioned the child, as expected her eyes lit up and she proceeded to babble on.

"Well there's Ino, she's a Yamanaka. She's really funny to! And then there's Sakura-chan. Her families almost all civvies 'cept her parents. I think she said her family name is Haruno or something like that. And then there's Hinata. She's from that family that's always helping me when I'm in trouble, the Hyuuga's. Her hair is real pretty, says she wants to grow it out. Anyways, so we met this morning and then they said they wanted to be friends so we went and played ninja tag like I do with Dog and Weasel and Crow sometimes. You know, how we play in the woods and you gotta stay real quiet and hidden away. But then they had to go home for lunch so I came here!" Naruko finished with a big smile, knowing that the Hokage had bought the story. It was exhausting keeping this mask up but she couldn't just suddenly change, it had to be gradual or the Hokage and ANBU would definitely know that something was wrong.

Meanwhile, the Hokage was thinking on the families of the children that Naruko had mentioned. He knew that the Hyuuga and Yamanaka families would be no problem. The Hyuuga took a highly proactive standpoint in Naruko's protection, influenced by the fact that Hyuuga Hiashi had actually been on the same Genin team as Uzumaki Kushina and knew that Naruko was actually hers and her husbands' daughter. Yamanaka Inoichi was also protective of the girl, though to a lesser degree than the Hyuuga, as he had been friends with Namikaze Minato when the man was alive.

It was the Haruno family that was the unknown variable. Young Sakura's grandfather was on the Civilian Council and was known to advocate the mistreatment of the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki. He did not know if the girls' parents held the same belief. He vaguely recalled the couple, a pair of chunin who had never advanced past that stage. They were also the first ninja out of both of their civilian families. They had not shown any overt dislike to the young girl sitting on the Hokage's lap but that could mean nothing. Well, he sighed, he supposed he would simply have to wait and see then.

Hiruzen looked down at the blonde with a smile. His eyes widened a fraction when he say that the girl was not in the customary orange jumpsuit that she had insisted on wearing, instead she was in a rather adorable quipao that he knew had been a gift from himself and his advisor, Koharu, whom he had put in charge of Naruko's etiquette lessons. It was a welcome change, but also an unexpected one. Naruko saw Hiruzen eyeing her dress in confusion and sighed, catching his attention.

"I decided since I'm gunna be a ninja, I was gunna start being really serious. That means no more orange jumpsuit. Though, I couldn't abandon my orange all together," she said, motioning to her obi making him smile. "I'm not gunna start wearing my kunai holster till classes start though," she added as an afterthought. Sarutobi nodded at the seven year olds wisdom with an amused smile.

"I'm happy to see you taking this so seriously, Naru-chan. Being a ninja is a very large responsibility and you won't get far if you don't treat it as such," he told the tiny blonde sagely. Naruko nodded with a serious expression.

"And I have to try my hardest because I'm going to be Hokage one day, Gramps," she said with a clenched fist. _And this time, I won't fail!_ She thought to herself. Sarutobi was taken aback. The declaration itself was not abnormal for the girl but the absolute seriousness and certainty that it was said with was rather shocking for the old man as was the strange, cold, empty look that had flashed through the child's eyes for just a moment after she had spoken. It reminded him of the look he had seen in his own eyes in the mirror after sending one of his Shinobi into what was tantamount to a suicide mission and knowing that they would never be coming home but that it was necessary for the well-being of the village. It was the look of someone who had a heavy guilt bearing on their soul. Hiruzen shook his head. There was no way that this child could bear that look. He must have been imagining things. When he looked back down, he was met with a pair of wide blue doe eyes that distracted him from his previous thoughts.

"Say, Jiji?" Naruko said in a sugary sweet voice causing Hiruzen to raise a brow. "Do you think that maybe you can give me some extra money? Pretty please?" She pleaded, bringing her hands up in front of her and adopting an adorable pout. Hiruzen smiled, they were once more in familiar territory.

"Did you already spend all of your allowance on ramen, Naru-chan?" He questioned, amused. Naruko huffed and crossed her arms. She had checked her cute little frog wallet this morning and apparently hadn't had a chance to hit up Ichiraku's with her allowance money yet because it was all still in the wallet but it wouldn't be enough for her to buy groceries and do what she wanted. What could she tell him? She couldn't very well just come out and say ' _Oh hey! I need that extra money so I can build a shrine for the God who helped me travel back in time from a future so bad the Shinigami himself would jump out of his damn skin if he knew.'_ Yeah, not an option. So she went the next best route. Queue: adorable little girl pout #3. Her lower lip jutted out and her eyes drooped down as she began to push her index fingers together and kick her tiny legs.

"No," she began in a tiny voice. "It's just that I saw this really pretty statue in the market a few days ago and I don't have enough money for it and for my food this month. But I really want it Jiji!" She cried, looking up at him and fully employing Puppy Eyes no Jutsu. Sarutobi managed to hold out for all of fifteen seconds before giving in with a sigh and asking how much she needed. She told him and he pulled out an envelope and counted out the amount carefully before handing it over and watching her tuck it safely into her frog wallet. They conversed for a few more minutes before the Hokage realized that he still had piles of paperwork to do and it just seemed to multiply when he looked away. So, with a fond smile, he shooed the girl off to buy her statue under the careful watch of her ANBU guards, promising to meet her for lunch the next day.

Naru skipped happily out of Sarutobi's office, tucking her wallet back into her obi as she went. She left the tower and walked into the market district, ignoring the cold glares being sent her way. She made her way through the throngs of people and into one of the grocery stores that actually gave her service and didn't price gouge her. She walked through with a basket on her arm, picking up fruits, vegetables and meats to get her by for the month. She also picked up some spices and a large can of coffee. She bypassed the instant ramen though, much to her guard details surprise. About a year into the war, foods like ramen and cake and other frivolous niceties became things only to be had in celebration as they were tightly rationed. I was more common to simply have what was harvested and hunted from in and around Konoha as the trade routes had been cut off. So Naruko's eating habits had changed drastically. This was part of the reason she became addicted to coffee. Her favorite fizzy drinks that had been imported from Iwa, were no longer being imported but coffee was grown in Konoha so when she had started having withdrawals, Sakura had started shoving cups of coffee into her hands to keep her up through the long nights of strategy and planning.

She walked up to the checkout and had her items bagged but found it difficult to carry the three heavy bags in her tiny arms. She sighed in frustration as she teetered forward until suddenly her arms were two bags lighter and she was looking up into the kind face of Nara Yoshino.

She nearly choked at seeing her future mother-in-law standing in front of her and was momentarily blinded by that same kind face, twisted into an angry visage and covered in blood. Those eyes staring blankly at nothing as she was held upright by the sword that had impaled her into the wall of her house. Her hands were still clenched around her own kunai, refusing to let go, even in death. She had been protecting the clan children but had been defeated when it turned from a one on one fight to a five on one. Shikamaru had pulled the sword from his mother's chest and cradled her to his body as he sobbed. They had gotten there too late. The only remaining people of the Nara clan were himself and Naruko now. They had even killed every single one of the children. It had been heartbreaking to see Shikamaru, clutching his mother and sobbing, begging her to come back to him because she couldn't leave him like this.

Naruko was brought out of the macabre flashback by a light hand on her shoulder making her jump slightly. She looked up into a pair of worried brown eyes and blushed before clutching her shopping back to her chest and bowing hastily.

"My apologies, Nara-Sama! There's no need for you to carry my bags! I would hate to inconvenience you Ma'am! Really!" Naruko stammered out, nervously. She really did not want to make a bad impression on Shikamaru's mother. When she looked up nervously through her bangs Yoshino was staring at her with wide eyes before she made a small squeeing noise and began to coo.

"Oh my! You are just the cutest thing! Shikaku! Get your lazy behind over here and meet this adorable little girl I found!" She yelled over her shoulder before continuing to coo at a speechless Naruko. Shikaku came to stand behind his wife and stared down with a raised eyebrow at the familiar little girl in front of him that his wife seemed to be scaring half to death if the uncomfortable look on the girls face was anything to go by. Suddenly, Yoshino whirled around and shoved to bags of groceries into her husbands are before plucking the third out of Naruko's hold and transplanting it into Shikaku's with the others. The man simply rolled his eyes and muttered about his 'Troublesome Woman' before adjusting the bags into a more comfortable position and watching his wife practically interrogate the seven year old girl.

"What's your name sweetie?"

"Uzumaki Naruko."

"And how old are you?"

"Seven, Ma'am."

"Oh none of that 'Ma'am' stuff! Call me Yoshino! Now where are your caretaker's sweetie?"

"I- I don't really have one. Just Jiji and my guard but they can't really be seen in public, Yoshino-Sama." The shocked girl said quietly. She didn't miss Yoshino sending a questioning look at her husband and him nodding softly before Yoshino turned back to Naruko.

"Well then little one, I guess we are just going to have to help you take your shopping home then," she said with a kind smile. Naruko's eyes widened.

"Oh! There's no need for that Yoshino-Sama, Nara-Sama! I can carry my bags! You probably have your own shopping to do! Please, don't bother with me!" Naruko cried, grabbing for her bags only to be stopped short and pulled into a bone crushing hug. She flailed her arms but her face was being compressed into Yoshino's chest without mercy and Naruko remembered how she and Shikamaru had once joked that Yoshino put the Mother in Smother. Yoshino was once more cooing at how 'absolutely adorable!' she was and Naruko's vision was turning black until Shikaku stepped forward.

"Troublesome woman. The girl can't breathe Yoshi-chan," he said lazily. Yoshino looked puzzled before her eyes widened and she pulled Naruko away from her chest. Naruko took great heaving breaths of air as Yoshino smoothed down her ruffled hair. After that it was a lost cause. No matter how much arguing, begging, pleading or pouting the blonde did, Yoshino insisted that they escort her through the rest of her shopping and then home. Finally, Naruko simply gave in, knowing just how stubborn her future mother-in-law could be. They escorted her into the Prayer shop, where Naruko bought the statue of the White Tiger of the West along with seven candles and a few packs of incense. After it was bagged, Yoshino deftly picked it up before Naruko could get to it and they began the trek to Naruko's apartment.

When they reached the apartment, Naruko invited them in for tea and allowed Shikaku to drop his load on the kitchen table where she proceeded to put away her groceries, using her stepstool when she couldn't reach while the water for tea boiled. When she finished unpacking all but the things for her mini shrine, she poured the tea and sat the cups in front of the two adults seated at her small table. Over tea, Yoshino proceeded to continue her previous interrogation. She was absolutely delighted when she found out the young sunshine was going to be in the same Academy class as her son starting next week. She knew exactly who the girl was but held no animosity having connected the dots of her parentage back to her old friend Kushina and was delighted with the thought of her son getting to know Kushina's absolutely adorable daughter.

Soon after they finished tea, Yoshino and Shikaku took their leave, leaving a completely exhausted Naruko to numbly set up her shrine to Byakko on the small bedside table in her room. She carved the characters for the seven stars of Byakko onto the candles before arranging them into a circle around the incense burner. She lit each one after lighting the incense and clasped her hands together in prayer.

"Amefuri. Karasuki. Koki. Subaru. Tokaki. Toroki. Totara. The Seven Stars of Byakko. Hear my Call. You have my thanks for your aid in my endeavors and my eternal prayers. I shall fulfill my vows. May I go forth under your Blessed Eyes always. Blessed be," she prayed, knowing the God who had answered her calls could hear her voice. She slowly opened her eyes and put out the candles one by one before leaving the incense burning.

She tiredly changed into her pajamas before crawling into bed. She lay on her side, looking out the window at the stars and felt tears prick at her eyes. She had seen so many that were supposed to be dead today. She hadn't realized how difficult this was going to be. She clutched her arms around her abdomen where it felt like someone had punched a gaping hole and she sobbed, choking on her tears as her chest heaved. She missed her Shikamaru. Normally at times like these, he would hold her to his chest and rub her back while whispering softly in her ear. They would both pretend that they didn't notice the tears that fell onto her head or how he would hold her a bit tighter throughout the night. But he wasn't here and she was left to pull herself through this alone. Her bed felt cold and empty as her tears dampened her pillow until slowly her sobs quieted and she fell into an uneasy sleep.

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 **Chapter Done! Read and Review! My thanks!**

 **Ja Ne,**

 **COD**


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